By Jane Bakewell

The biggest sporting event in the BVI and part of the triumvirate C.O.R.T. (Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle) series with races in St. Croix and Culebra, the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival blows in with a rollicking schedule of activities during the first weekend of April. Annually, close to 150 boats register in different categories according to boat make and size, with 80 percent of those competitors being from overseas.

In 2010, the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival will be celebrating its 39th year. The festival has expanded from the original one weekend of judged races to a full week of friendly competition that serves as a "warm-up" to the main event. This includes the Bitter End Cup, where boats race from Tortola up to Virgin Gorda, and the Nation's Challenge Cup, an optional lay day race in the North Sound. For the BVI, the regatta represents a great influx of tourism dollars, coupled with a high-profile event that attracts international press coverage.

A unique Clean and Green Initiative is now part of an effort to reduce material waste and serve as a platform for education. BVI Spring Regatta Director Judy Petz decided that the glass-recycling programme implemented in the previous years was so successful that it was time to take it up a notch. Partnering with Sailors for the Sea, a conservation group that promotes ocean awareness to the sailing and boating community, protocols for a Clean Regatta were established and met, qualifying the Regatta for Silver Certification in 2009. Part of this initiative included reducing plastic waste by 30 percent by offering a one-time purchase of reusable water bottles, with free fill-ups all weekend. The BVI Tourist Board supplied the bottles, and Clear Water Purification System, a local company, supplied the refill stations. Proceeds from bottle sales went to Green VI, a local environmental organization, and VISAR, the BVI's volunteer sea rescue team. Regatta organisers supplied a "green list" of non-toxic boat-cleaning supplies. Green products that could be obtained locally were displayed, and sailors were encouraged to try some of the do-it-yourself recipes using vinegar, baking soda and salt. Sailors for the Sea representatives are thrilled everyone involved in the BVI Spring Regatta is taking steps to act as stewards of the marine ecosystem.

Nanny Cay Marina, headquarters for the regatta, is centre stage for a mini music fest and celebration that attracts as many landlubbers as sailors. Food booths are set up around the Regatta Village. Many families come to enjoy the tasty local fare and sit under the big tents on picnic-style tables filled with sailors regaling the crowd with tales about the day's races. The evenings bring on the real partying, with both local and international music groups setting the tempo for dancing into the wee hours of the morning. It's a regatta that's alive with music, filled with party revellers and offering some of the most competitive yacht racing in the Caribbean. For many, this means spring can't come too soon to the British Virgin Islands.

For more information, visit www.bvispringregatta.org, contact the event headquarters at 494-3286 or e-mail info@bvispringregatta.org.

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